{"id":22,"date":"2016-04-26T13:57:34","date_gmt":"2016-04-26T13:57:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/54.89.13.89\/?p=22"},"modified":"2018-06-01T21:23:20","modified_gmt":"2018-06-01T21:23:20","slug":"creative-business-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.avvay.com\/blog\/creative-business-series\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Business Tips To Protect Your Creative Freedom"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

For some people, creativity and business do not mix. For others, creativity is your business. I\u2019m somewhere in the middle. I enjoy creativity and I enjoy business and believe they can co-exist in a healthy way. I also believe that handling the business side of things well, leads to greater creative freedom. Whichever category you fit in, if you\u2019re making any money as a self-employed photographer, artist, artisan, musician, etc. you\u2019re technically a business owner. Here are 5 business-y tips from me to you.<\/p>\n

#1: Diversify<\/h5>\n

Have a lot of irons in the fire. It always helped me to make a list. What would I like to be doing every day? What am I good at, but don\u2019t necessarily love? What do I not want to be doing, but makes me money? Then, I could identify my ultimate long-term goal (I want to do _____ every day and make a living doing it). When you\u2019re not able to work on your #1, choose to pursue something else from your list that day. Make forward motion. Learn to how to earn a living even in lean times. You\u2019re not giving up on your ultimate goal, you\u2019re supporting it.<\/p>\n

#2: Protect what you\u00a0have.<\/h5>\n

We live in a crazy world. I personally think an LLC is a great way to protect your personal assets from potential business lawsuits or debts. This is a big topic and it\u2019s best that you consult a lawyer or accountant about what\u2019s right for you. I will say, if the formation of an LLC seems too daunting to you, it\u2019s not that bad. There are a lot of great resources out there that make it easier than ever before (like, LawTrades.com<\/strong><\/a>). Also, there\u2019s a great discussion on this topic on Quora<\/strong><\/a> (I reference Quora all of the time): https:\/\/www.quora.com\/Should-I-form-an-LLC<\/a><\/p>\n

#3: Keep your books in\u00a0order.<\/h5>\n

Quickbooks Online<\/strong><\/a> (http:\/\/quickbooks.intuit.com\/online\/<\/a>) is never something I thought I\u2019d care about using. That is, until I got hit with a massive tax preparation bill shortly after I formed an LLC. If you want to save yourself a ton of time and money during tax season and are also sick of keeping (or not keeping) receipts in a shoebox, then I recommend trying out Quickbooks. it\u2019s pretty cheap and fairly easy to use. My wife and I hired one of their experts to show us the ropes and it was definitely worth every penny. If you want to be completely hands off when it comes to bookkeeping, you may be interested in something like Bench.co. Looks interesting. Either way, keeping your business organized will lead to more creative freedom\u200a\u2014\u200aI promise.<\/p>\n

#4: Get really good with what you\u00a0have<\/h5>\n

I know that this doesn\u2019t apply to every situation, but that gigantic loan you\u2019re eyeing to build the studio of your dreams probably won\u2019t bring you creative freedom in the long run. If you already have clientele, then maybe that\u2019s one thing. But, if you\u2019re starting from the ground up in any creative field I think this advice applies: The gear\/equipment you own won\u2019t a. make you good and b. won\u2019t automatically make you money. It can help, yes. But, limitations are gifts. They push us to learn. Upgrade when you\u2019ve outgrown the stuff you have and can afford to.<\/p>\n

#5: Mailbox\u00a0money<\/h5>\n

There are a lot of forms of \u201cmailbox money.\u201d I basically see it as income that you\u2019re not necessarily relying on and that is somewhat passive. For example, listing your space on AVVAY is a pretty passive way to generate extra money (had to say it). And things like royalties, e-commerce, ad revenue from YouTube, stock photography licensing, etc. are all great ways to bring in cash apart from your bread and butter.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve mentioned these things not because I think we should always be money driven, but because I think we all value creative freedom. From my own personal experience, my business decisions can drastically affect that freedom. Everyone\u2019s situation looks different. What have you learned through building your business as a creative?<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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